Lookie, Lookie!

Christmas has come early this year. Look what Sani had delivered to my house yesterday--

For those of you who are saying "so what?" this is a genuine hardwood library truck that retails for $265 at Gaylords. A homeschoolers dream!

Years ago when my dad worked for a major accounting firm he salvaged it from their trash where it ended up on account of a bum wheel bracket. He fixed it for my mom and she's used it in their church library. Mom recently resigned her post as church librarian and brought me the treasure, knowing I'd value both the truck and the fact that it was a trash pick.

Thanks Mom and Dad! Now to fill it with books!

My Re-Made Christmas

My Christmas decorations are a collection of things co-workers and clients have given my husband as Christmas gifts, those first few decorations I bought with little cash and less decorating know-how when we were newlyweds, and a strange assortment of hand-me-downs from my mother and mother-in-law. While I'd like to upgrade both my style and my decor, there is no remodeling mullah.


So this is what I've come up with:

Our table needed a centerpiece that was easy and festive and could stand up to three children. I took a tray I've had for years, put clear glass marbles in some of the tray's divots, and added a 25-cent ring of artificial berries and beads from the thrift store to one of my usual table candles. Fire and ice!

We live in a raised ranch and I needed a focal point that would draw visitors' eyes upstairs instead of into the basement when they come in the front door. I took my kids' old rocking horse (purchased 9 years ago by my mother at a garage sale) and painted it red with some spray paint we'd used on a trash-pick wagon. I distressed it with some sand paper around the edges and added some decorations I'd found at the dollar store.

While I'm not Martha Stewart, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. Who says you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear? Oink!

It's Fall in My Hall

I'm no decorator, but I was quite happy with the seasonal look I was able to pull together in my front entry. The pumpkins were a nuisance all summer as they overtook my flower garden but are now quite useful (and all over my house)! I plopped the pumpkins in a thrift store basket, added a candle I bought on clearance at W-Mrt a while back, a Thanksgiving book from our personal library, and two artificial berry rings from Big Lots. Voila!

Thrifty

Found this fun guy at the thrift store the other day. He looks like he has a purpose,like he should hold something, but I've no idea what that would be.

Also decided that after five years the kitchen needed some curtians. I made these out of dish towels from Big Lots. The whole ensamble, rod and all, was about $13. My kind of price.